Birmingham City manager Chris Davies has confirmed Krystian Bielik will miss the next few weeks because of an ankle injury.
The Polish centre half has been a crucial part of the positive start to life in League One the Blues have made.
Bielik’s influence on the team was spotted by Davies, who made him the side’s captain this season. Unfortunately for Davies, he’s set to be without his captain for a little while after he picked up an ankle injury in their defeat away at Charlton Athletic.
What has Davies said about the injury to Bielik?
Speaking with Birmingham World after his side beat Shrewsbury Town 4-0 in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, Davies said:
“He got a bit of a nasty ankle knock at the weekend, so he looks like he will be a few weeks at the very least.”
Although it’s not the worst news possible, missing their captain isn’t ideal, especially on the back of a defeat in the league.
How important has Bielik been to Birmingham City?
He has taken the responsibility of captaincy in his stride. He’s leading Birmingham in terms of average rating in their opening League One games. Sofascore have rated his performances at 7.31, just ahead of Christoph Klarer (7.3).
The former Arsenal academy player leads the team in interceptions per game (2.5) and is just behind Klarer in terms of clearances per game with 2.9.
He has also chipped in with one goal so far this season. His goal came in their 3-2 win against Peterborough United at the end of September.
How big of a miss will Bielik be for Birmingham City? – opinion
After the disappointment of losing to Charlton last week, the game in which Bielik came off after 46 minutes, Davies would likely have been looking for a reaction in their next league game. The goal scored by Charlton came shortly after the defender came off, showing his importance to the team.
Their next game isn’t until the 19th, when they travel to an exciting-looking Lincoln City. This will be a tough test. The Imps haven’t lost in seven league games, stretching back to mid-August. They’ll be full of confidence and believe they can take points away from Birmingham.
It sounds from Davies’ comments that Bielik won’t be available, which means he needs to make sure whoever comes in for him is able to fill the void. It will be a difficult ask for whoever comes in, but they’ll need to adapt quickly while he is out.